6. Morningside Park Had a Vastly Different Original Plan
Olmsted and Vaux Plan for Morningside Park. Image via NYC Municipal Archives
New York City was given this property in 1870 and plans were drafted up by numerous architects, including Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux, who designed Central Park. Olmsted’s plans conceived of the park as a quasi-extension from Central Park, and he designed a grand entrance at the southeast corner. His plan aimed to take advantage of the views out to Long Island Sound, and included a tropical garden, a chalet, a building for a zoological collection and a winter garden.
